The biggest concern with ice, Warzoha said, is the potential to lose power as trees and power lines can come down in a storm. Although winds are not expected to be strong during the storm, the heavy ice could create issues for utility crews.

To prepare, Warzoha said the town has been working with Connecticut Light & Power over the past few days, setting up "staging areas" where equipment and tree crews can respond to storm-related issues.

"We've been preparing for the worst, but hoping for rain," Warzoha said.

WTNH-TV meteorologist Gil Simmons agreed that the icy conditions will be the biggest threat over the next two days.

"The chance is there for a memorable, historic ice storm," Simmons said. "This could be a deal where we talk about a state of emergency. The thing I'm very concerned about is, it's impossible to pin down where, but there could be parts of Connecticut that are without power for days on end."

People should think about `where will I go if my power is off for two or three days?' " Simmons added. "People should think about their flashlights. They should definitely have their cell phones charged tomorrow. The glazing over of ice could be a problem on Wednesday. That is absolutely dangerous."

The forecast calls for snow starting as early as 6 a.m. Tuesday and falling throughout the morning commute. The combination of new snow and melted snow potentially re-freezing is expected cause hazardous conditions on highways and local roads.

"I think we could have some major spin-outs," Simmons said. "It could be a nightmare commute, and it's going to be very cold."

Snow is expected to fall almost all day Tuesday. The precipitation may take a break Tuesday evening, only to start again early Wednesday morning.

Simmons said the combination of warm air higher in the atmosphere and much colder air closer to the ground will likely make for a dangerous mixture of sleet and freezing rain.

"If we had a giant staircase and we took temperatures, at ground level it's going to be about 25 degrees," Simmons said. "As we climb the staircase up to 3,000 feet it's going to be about 34 degrees. ... It's going to come down mostly as rain. Some of it might turn into sleet and some of it might come down as rain and freeze upon contact. It can become hazardous for freezing on road conditions and it could take power lines down."

"Ice is always, I think, the biggest problem that a DOT can face," Nursick said. "Some years ago we changed from sand and salt to a straight salt and calcium chloride, which gives you a much better chance of getting it over the roadways. We have a modern protocol for dealing with ice storms, but ice storms are about the worst thing you can have in terms of getting around the roadways."